DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claims 1-6 and 8-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Carter et al. (USP 9,334,806), in view of Guo et al. (USP 9,901,892).
Regarding claims 1, 3-4 and 8-10
Carter discloses a method of manufacturing a fuel contacting component that facilitates the reduction of coke formation on at least a surface of the fuel contacting component (abstract).
Carter discloses that the surfaces to be treated include fuel nozzles, swirlers and other fuel component systems of a turbine engine (column 1, lines 5-16).
Carter discloses that the method to reduce the formation of coke is by coating the components such as the fuel nozzle of a gas turbine engine (claims 1-3).
Carter discloses a fuel contacting part that would have a housing and a passage formed therein, and a passage wall facing the passage (Figure 1), where the part is a fuel nozzle and has a surface that is in contact with a liquid hydrocarbon fuel (column 3, line 59 to column 4, line 11). Thus during operation the part (i.e., a fuel nozzle) would necessitate a fuel injection port fluidly connected to a fuel source and configured to inject hydrocarbon fuel in the passage, and would be located downstream of the fuel injection port.
Although, Carter does not disclose a coating of a rare earth metal, Carter does discloses a coating to prevent formation of coke. However, Gou discloses an anti-coking catalyst coating comprising a perovskite of the formula BaCe0.7Zr0.3O3 (i.e., catalyst comprising a rare earth oxide and an alkaline earth metal) (claim 9). Therefore it would have been prima facie obvious to one skilled in the art to add to the teachings of Carter by using the perovskite as the coating to reduce coke formation, with a reasonable expectation of success, as suggested by Gou.
Regarding claim 2
Carter discloses that the particle size of his coating is 0.5 to 100 microns.
As the size range of the reference overlaps the claimed size the subject matter as a whole would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to have selected the overlapping portion of the range disclosed by the reference because overlapping ranges have been held to be a prima facie case of obviousness. In re Malagari, 182 U.S.P.Q. 549.
Regarding claims 5 and 6
Gou discloses a temperature range from about 500 C to about 1,000 C. As the temperature range of the reference overlaps the claimed range the subject matter as a whole would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to have selected the overlapping portion of the range disclosed by the reference because overlapping ranges have been held to be a prima facie case of obviousness. In re Malagari, 182 U.S.P.Q. 549.
Regarding claims 11-14
Gou discloses a catalyst of formula AaBbCcDdO3-sigma, where the D can be platinum or silver and 0</=d</=1.2 (column 3, lines 34-60). As such it would be obvious to include platinum or silver, and as the range of the content of noble metal of the reference overlaps the claimed amount the subject matter as a whole would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to have selected the overlapping portion of the range disclosed by the reference because overlapping ranges have been held to be a prima facie case of obviousness. In re Malagari, 182 U.S.P.Q. 549.
Claim 7 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Carter et al. (USP 9,334,806), in view of Guo et al. (USP 9,901,892), as applied to claims 1-6 and 8-14 above, in view of Olver et al. (US 20210231050).
Regarding claim 7
Although, Gou does not disclose a venturi with a diverging section, Gou does disclose that the coating is to be applied to the components of a fuel system for a turbine engine. However, Olver discloses that in a turbine engine has a venturi and a diverging section (para 0019). Therefore it would have been prima facie obvious to add to the teachings of Gou by coating a diverging section and venturi, with a reasonable expectation of success, as suggested by Olver.
Claims 15-16 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Carter et al. (USP 9,334,806), in view of Guo et al. (USP 9,901,892), as applied to claims 1-6 and 8-14 above, in view of Wedderburn et al. (US 20200256250).
Regarding claims 15-16 and 20
Although, Gou does not disclose an aft heat shield with a thermal barrier coating, Gou does disclose that the coating is to be applied to the components of a fuel system for a turbine engine. However, Wedderburn discloses that in a turbine engine the combustor can include one or more aft heat shields which can include a thermal barrier cotaing (para 0053). Therefore it would have been prima facie obvious to add to the teachings of Gou by having an aft heat shield with a thermal coating and have the catalyst coating applied to the thermal barrier coating, with a reasonable expectation of success, as suggested by Wedderburn.
Claims 17-19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Carter et al. (USP 9,334,806), in view of Guo et al. (USP 9,901,892), as applied to claims 1-6 and 8-14 above, in view of Patel et al. (US 20160161123).
Regarding claims 17-19
Although, Gou does not disclose the claimed components of the turbine fuel system, Gou does disclose that the coating is to be applied to the components of a fuel system for a turbine engine. However, Patel discloses that a turbine engine may include a first swirler located radially outward of and adjacent to the duel orifice pilot fuel injector tip (i.e., an array of main fuel orifices), a second swirler located radially outward of the first swirler and a splitter, where the splitter may be positioned downstream of the duel orifice pilot fuel injector tip and a venturi downstream of the splitter including a converging section, a diverging section and a throat (para 0051). Therefore it would have been prima facie obvious to add to the teachings of Carter by including these components in the fuel system of a turbine engine, and to have the coated, with a reasonable expectation of success as suggested by Patel.
Conclusion
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JAMES E. MCDONOUGH
Examiner
Art Unit 1734
/JAMES E MCDONOUGH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1734